By Steven Bockarie Mansaray in Amman, Jordan
Four Sierra Leonean youths, Alpha Koroma and Steven Bockarie Mansaray from Koinadugu district, Jane Peters and Massah Mary Kanu from Western Area are in Amman, Jordan to attend a five-day-training on youth leadership, community empowerment, active tolerance and responsible citizenship.
The 30 participants drawn from across the world are expected to go back to their communities to be the change-makers and to create a better future for the youth.
The training is organised by Generations for Peace.
In the last seven years the peace group has trained and mentored more than 8,400 volunteer youth leaders in 50 countries and territories in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. The programme supports over 215,000 children and youth on issues of conflict and violence.
Before this time Alpha Koroma had been invited for a certification training programme on similar issues in 2008. As a peace pioneer when he returned home, he founded a voluntary youth lead organisation called Centre for Youth Advocacy and Assistance (CYAA) based in Kabala.
He uses the initiative to contribute to building responsible and committed young people in Koinadugu, among them a volunteer Steven Bockarie Mansaray, who organises peace building, leadership and advocacy activities for youths in the district.
Their trip coincides with the 53rd independence anniversary of Sierra Leone, a country where majority of the youths are unemployed and are open to manipulation in election violence.
“Participants are therefore expected to go back and help their colleague youths develop a sense of responsible citizenship and self-esteem, by using the vehicles of change like sport, art, advocacy and empowerment”, the organisers said in a communication to the participants.
(C) Politico 29/04/14
